Braided Fabric Coasters Tutorial

Ok, I'll admit it. I eat in my craft room while I work! Yep, right next to the sewing machine! Sometimes I get Hubby to come in and hang out on the bed while I work, so we'll often have snacks while we work. I get nervous that cold drinks will ruin my desk and dresser, so coasters were in order!

Of course, you know me and everything MUST match, so I used the same fabric from my tissue box cover and curtains. I cut 1/2 inch strips of fabric and used some Elmer's glue to attach strips together. The length of fabric you'll need depends on how big you want your coaster to be. These would also be great for hot plate trivets and you would obviously need more for those.

I took 3 strips and tied a knot at one end.

Then I started braiding the fabric. You can pin the knot to something to make it easier to braid or just hold it in your hands. Memories of those friendship bracelets from day camp, right?

Once the braid was done, I glued the ends together.

For me, it was easier to make a few braided strands and then attach them using glue to make one long braided piece.

Starting at the knotted end, I slowly rolled the braided fabric around to form a circle. I used glue to keep the coil from falling apart. Make sure to let each application of glue dry before continuing to coil or it will fall apart.

And keep coiling and gluing...

Until you get the size you want. It's easy to glue more braided fabric on to the end if you want a bigger coaster.

Once I was done, I glued the ends and trimmed the edges.

Thirsty, anyone?